Making gravy ahead, freezing it and reheating it

How far in advance you can safely make gravy, what freezing does to it, and how to bring it back without splitting or thinning.

How far ahead

Most gravies keep three days in the fridge and three months in the freezer. Made ahead is often better, because the flavours settle and the fat sets on top so you can lift it off cleanly.

Cream based gravies are the exception. They can be made ahead but they are better finished with the cream on the day, since freezing and reheating is what makes dairy split.

Cooling it safely

Get it from hot to chilled within about ninety minutes. Pour it into a wide shallow container rather than leaving it in a deep pan, because a deep pan of gravy can sit at room temperature for hours in the middle and that is exactly where bacteria are happiest.

Cover it once it is cool, not while it is steaming. Reheat once, to a proper rolling boil for a minute, and do not reheat the same gravy twice.

What freezing does

Flour thickened gravy sometimes separates slightly when it thaws and looks grainy. It is not ruined. Reheat it gently and whisk hard and it comes back together. If it stays thin, a small cornflour slurry fixes it in a minute.

Freeze flat in bags, labelled, and it will thaw in twenty minutes in a sink of warm water. A concentrated base takes up less freezer space than finished gravy: reduce it hard, freeze that, then let it down with stock or water on the day.

Keeping it hot without ruining it

A skin forms when the surface dries out. A disc of greaseproof paper laid right on the surface, or a knob of butter melted over the top, stops it. Keep it above 63C if it is sitting out for a while, and stir it now and then.

A vacuum flask warmed with boiling water first will hold gravy at serving temperature for a couple of hours and frees up a hob ring on Christmas Day. It is the best trick on this whole site.